Seattle City Council votes to create renters commission

Mar. 21, 2017

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle City Council has approved the creation of a renters commission as the city deals with skyrocketing rents.

The Seattle Times reports (https://goo.gl/IoGxZl ) that the council voted unanimously Monday in support of the commission, which will push laws to help a group that makes up 54 percent of all households yet doesn't have the same organized clout as landlords or homeowners.

Rents have jumped about 40 percent across Seattle in the past four years.

The 15-member volunteer commission is mandated to seek out members of marginalized communities, such as immigrants, low-income residents, felons, those who have been homeless and members of the LGBTQ community. The average Seattle renter earns about half of what a homeowner makes and is disproportionately more likely to be a minority.